FAQ

M10T is our ultralight 10-denier breathable, calendared DOWNPROOF taffeta nylon.  Our M10T was developed to be a great all-around UL fabric that offers excellent wind/water resistance, has an incredibly soft hand feel, and is highly down proof (both in lab tests and in field use) all at a great price point.  It has a finished weight of only 0.66 oz/yd2, making it one of the thinnest/lightest taffeta nylon fabrics on the market. M10T has a Durable Water Repellant (DWR) finish applied to the face side of the fabric, protecting you and your down from environmental moisture. M10T has received a 5 out of 5 score on the International Rotating Box Down proof Test (a score of 3 is considered average). M10T is best suited for the inner shell of a quilt and the outer shell of a quilt for those looking for the lightest possible quilt but at the sacrifice of some durability.

A: MRS20 is our ultralight 20-denier breathable mirco-ripstopped, calendared DOWNPROOF nylon. It has a 20-denier nylon thread woven into a micro-ripstop pattern, resulting in an exceptionally strong fabric with a finish weight of only 1.1oz/yd2. MRS20 has a Durable Water Repellant (DWR) finish applied to the face side of the fabric, protecting you and your down from environmental moisture. MRS20 retains a high level of breathability, allowing moisture from your body to pass through the quilt, preventing excessive condensation inside the down chamber. MRS20 has excellent color depth, giving your quilt a rich, luxurious look and feel. MRS20 has the softest feel of all our outer shell fabrics. MRS20 is an excellent combination of weight, durability, and value. MRS20 has received a 5 out of 5 score on the International Rotating Box Down proof Test (a score of 3 is considered average). MRS20 is the best overall outer shell fabric for weight, durability, and down proof score.

After extensive in-house testing, UGQ sent out several fabric sample panels to the International Down and Feather Laboratory (IDFL) in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Founded in 1978, the IDFL is the largest down and feather laboratory in the world, and is the global leader in filled textile testing.  All our test panels received high passing grades on IDFL's industry standard Rotating Box Test.

First, we need to understand the components of down, there are down plumules, down fibers, and feathers. In high quality down there is always a small percentage of feathers and down fibers in addition to the down plumules. Down plumules are the actual down clusters that open and provide the trapped air in your quilt, these represent 92-95% of the content in high fill power down. Down fibers represent 1-2% and are the small fluffy filaments/barbs that break off a down plumule. Small feathers typically represent 1-2% and are impossible to fully sort from the down, they are typically small but are considered a feather nonetheless as they are not down.

While each and every fabric offered for use in the construction of your UGQ Quilt has been thoroughly tested for use with high fill power down by its very nature, the shell fabric of a quilt is porous. This is what allows the fabric to be breathable and as a result, it is possible for the small spines of feathers, down fibers, and down clusters to work their way through the fabric. It is important to realize that the fabric is not torn, but that the offending item is passing in between the threads.

If this is a down cluster or feather the best maintenance in this situation is to reach behind the fabric and pull the offending item cluster BACK INTO its chamber. The small space between the threads will close and reposition themselves. You may also gently massage the area to promote this "self-sealing". Do not attempt to pull the cluster OUT OF THE QUILT! Two things will happen if you do, 1) that cluster/feather will be tangled with another cluster and it too will follow out of the quilt in an endless fountain of down, and 2) the space between the threads will become larger and take longer to reseal.

Down fibers can also work their way through the fabric, the thinner the fabric the more prone it is to passing down fibers. Again, this is not indicative of a hole but a result of the fiber passing between the threads of the fabric. Typically, this occurs on a new quilt in the first few months of use and then abates over time.

Rest assured that the fabrics we use are down proof to industry standards and have the tightest weaves and the highest available thread counts and that performance is in no way compromised.

For a period of time we did offer hydrophobic down, through both our personal experience and our customers feed back we discontinued its use in 2016. We have found in our own experience that the performance enhancements of hydrophobic treatments on high quality down are widely overstated. High quality untreated down already has naturally water repellant oils on it left by the geese (makes sense since geese spend a lot of time in water). These oils help repel water and keep down lofted. More importantly is that these oils last indefinitely. Hydrophobic treatments wash out like a DWR and remove the natural oils during the application process. Because of this, and the water resistant capability of our shell fabrics, we feel that hydrophobic down does not provide a considerable impact on performance and could actually inhibit performance over the lifetime of our products

Our down supplier is the only down company to be both bluesign® approved, and certified allergen-free.  These accreditations were awarded by third-party sources that uphold rigorous standards, and conduct timely audits to ensure compliance.  Our supplier's sourcing, sorting, testing, and cleaning processes are the most advance in the industry, and were designed specifically to protect the welfare of the animals, as well as the environment.

Yes, our down supplier is a global leader in the development and implementation of industry practices to ensure that the down in UGQ quilts has been raised and collected ethically and humanely.

Based on its 3-dimensional structure, and its ability to loft, each down cluster traps more dead air for its weight than any synthetic material.  Every ounce of down has about two million fluffy filaments that interlock and overlap to form a protective layer of non-conducting still air that keeps warmth in, and cold out.  Because of its natural resilience, down can be scrunched up or flattened out, and it only requires a good shake for it to fluff up and bounce back to its original, highly-insulating form.

Fill power refers to down's ability to loft and regain its original volume after being compressed.  In technical terms, fill power is a rating system based on how much space one ounce of down will occupy in cubic inches when allowed to reach its maximum loft.  The higher the fill power, the lighter and fluffier the down will be, and the more efficiently it will insulate and provide warmth.  Fill power applies equally to duck down and goose down.  Down is available in a range of fill powers, from 500fp to 950fp.

No.  Down quality is determined mainly by the age of the bird, its species, and its size.  White down is particularly prized, not because it is inherently superior, but because it can be put into light-colored coverings without being seen through the fabric.

While we do use white down in all our quilts it is impossible for our supplier to sort out 100% of the darker clusters. Due to the light weight natures of our fabrics you may see an occasional darker cluster of down.

Yes, down is perfectly safe for use in quilts, pillows, hats, etc.  The FDA requires down to be washed and steamed at 130*C for 30 minutes before it can be used in the production of garments in the USA.  Viruses and pathogens, including bird flu, die within two minutes of exposure to temperatures of 70*C.

We base our temperature ratings on the chart, below.  This is not an official guide, but rather it is a good rule of thumb based on averages.

Single layer Loft and Estimated Temperature Rating

We strive to provide most users with a comfortable temperature rating meaning that most people will be warm at a quilt's given temperature rating.  However, everyone is different when it comes to cold tolerance, so some folks who are cold sleepers (you know who you are) will need to add overstuffing to ensure that they're warm enough.  Various other factors will influence your overall warmth, including a campsite exposed to wind, hydration, caloric intake, fitness, and humidity.

We typically recommend that you wear a light base layer to keep FUNK off your quilt.  During prolonged use at/below a quilt's lower temperature rating, you may find that you need to wear a heavier base layer to maintain warmth during the night.  The addition of a silk liner is also a good way to keep you warm and ensure that your quilt remains funk-free for a longer period between washings.

Yes, with proper venting techniques, any UGQ underquilt can be used in much warmer weather than it is rated for.  Typically, the upper limit of a given quilt will be 45-50*F above its rating.  To vent your underquilt, simply loosen the head and foot draws, and if additional venting is needed, the primary and secondary suspensions can be loosened.

We do overstuff to 130% (included in the base price of all our quilts), but you may want to consider additional overstuff if you are a cold sleeper.  The extra down will help buffer the lower limits of the quilt, keeping you toasty-warm even beyond the lower limit.  Another reason for ordering overstuff is when you expect to use your quilt for an extended period of time without access to laundering.  The additional down will help to retain the performance of the quilt between washings.

Overstuff will help the quilt loft quicker as it will have more SPRING in the quilt with the additional down. Overstuff  helps with reduced thinning, which is thin spots in the insulation opening up to create a cold zone. Down is a loose fill insulation and even though we section off the quilt with baffles/chambers there is always a possible chance of thinning. Overstuff increases the density of the down inside each chamber to help reduce any movement of the down.

We offer two overstuff options, the first is OVERSTUFF which will be evenly distributed throughout the entire quilt. The second is FOOT-BOX OVERSTUFF which will be evenly applied to only the bottom six chambers of the foot-box.

Our Zeppelin UnderQuilts will fit most hammocks, regardless of size or style.  For some bridge hammocks, you may have to make some modification to your hammock's underquilt suspension system, but UGQ's underquilts will fit most gathered end hammocks without need for modification.

Yes, our Zeppelin UnderQuilt will fit a hammock of this size.  The size of a hammock and the size of an underquilt are not dependent on each other, because the purpose of an underquilt is to provide the user with the necessary thermal coverage.  An underquilt made to fit every inch of a hammock 11'x72" would be very heavy and very expensive.  When purchasing an underquilt, the user must decide on whether they want partial coverage or full coverage.

Yes, we include a series of small loops along both sides of the quilt, which, when used in conjunction with our quilt anchor system, will keep your quilt snugly attached to your pad.

All of our quilts have three sets of attachment points along each side, one at thigh level, one mid torso, and one armpit level. The Deluxe pad strap system contains one 6" flat strap and one adjustable continuous loop, both have wafer clips for attaching to the quilt. Spare continuous straps are available to purchase.

HOW TO USE

1) Use the flat strap on the lowest set of points on the quilt, this helps to stop the quilt from opening up and creating a draft in that area.

2) Use the continuous loop pad strap on the next set of points, install it around your pad to line up with those points on the quilt then simply clip the quilt in. The clips can be opened with one hand which makes getting out in the middle of the night easy.

3) In colder weather add a second continuous pad strap on the top set of points on the quilt, this helps hold the top of the quilt down on the pad to help control drafts.

The Deluxe Pad Strap paired with the DTCS is currently the Cadillac pad system on the market.

A quilt with a full taper will resemble a mummy-style sleeping bag when the foot box is closed.  When a full taper quilt is fully open, it will narrow from top to bottom providing a slimmer lighter finished product..  A no taper quilt will be rectangular when laid out flat, and will have slightly more room in the foot box when the foot is fully closed.

Our advanced in-house design software calculates both our fill weights and the weights of our finished products.  We also weigh all finished product as it leaves the shop in order to verify the accuracy of the entire system.  Because our filling process leaves little room for error or tolerance stacking, we have exceptionally accurate target and finish weights.

We only inventory certain colors and fabrics to keep our overall costs down, these are ordered by the roll securing a better price. To offer a full palette of colors we offer the additional fabrics/colors at an additional cost. These are ordered as needed from our supplier at a cut yardage rate which is more than full roll pricing.